Tillerson on China visit focused on North Korea, trade

BEIJING (AP) – U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is in China for weekend discussions focused on trade and North Korea, along with preparations for an anticipated visit by President Donald Trump in November.

Tillerson is making his second visit in office to the world’s No. 2 economy and America’s chief rival with the U.S. for influence in Asia, and increasingly, the world. He is expected to meet Saturday with top Chinese officials including senior foreign policy adviser Yang Jiechi, Foreign Minister Wang Yi and President Xi Jinping.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang on Friday said talks would center on “issues regarding the improvement of bilateral ties, President Trump’s visit to China within the year as invited by President Xi, and international and regional issues of common concerns.”

In this Sept. 26, 2017, photo, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson speaks at the State Department in Washington. Tillerson is making his second trip to China since taking office in February, and relations between the two world powers have rarely mattered so much. The standoff over North Korea’s nuclear weapons has entered a new, dangerous phase as its leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump exchange personal insults and threats of war with no sign of a diplomatic solution. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)